Black Bear Diner Colorado Springs - Academy — Restaurant in Colorado Springs

The Restaurant We Had Been Looking Forward to Visiting: A Huge Disappointment!

We had been planning to visit this restaurant for a long time, and we finally made it. Now, I want to share my experience with you.

Waiting Process: Total Chaos

We made the mistake of going on the weekend! We arrived around 11 AM, and the place was already packed. Dozens of people were crammed inside, trying to escape the cold. We were told there was a 25-minute wait before we could be seated. So, we got in line, wandered around nearby stores, and killed some time.

When we returned, the crowd was just as big as before. There was a small waiting area to the right of the entrance, but seating was extremely limited. It was sad to see elderly people, some even with oxygen tanks, forced to stand while waiting.

Ordering Experience: A Simple Request Gone Wrong

Finally, our names were called, and we were led to our table. I must say, it was quite a walk to get there. But considering how busy they were, we were just grateful to be seated.

I ordered the New York Steak & Eggs breakfast and asked for pancakes on the side. However, I specifically requested that the pancakes be brought 15-20 minutes after our breakfast so they wouldn’t take up space on the small table and get cold. The waitress agreed and said, “Sure!”

But just 5-10 minutes after our breakfast arrived, I saw the pancakes being placed on the table. I reminded her: “Miss, I had asked for the pancakes to be served later, not now.”

Her response was almost laughable: “The kitchen is small; I can’t hold them in the window.”

I really hoped she was joking, but she was serious. I mean, if a customer asks for their pancakes to be served later, isn’t it possible to just make them 15-20 minutes later instead? Having worked in a kitchen myself, serving three meals a day to 300 people, I know this is a simple and reasonable request.

Anyway, after a brief discussion, she took the pancakes away and brought them back when we finally asked for them. She was polite and patient, but honestly, was it really necessary to waste our breath over something so basic?

The Food: Far Below Expectations

I ordered New York Steak, but what I got was barely 40% of what a New York steak should be. And the breakfast potatoes? Absolutely terrible! Half of them were completely raw. I couldn’t help but think, “Why don’t you just hand us the pan so we can cook them ourselves?”

I’ve had breakfast at many different restaurants, and when I like a place, I go back multiple times. But after this experience, will I ever return to this restaurant? A BIG, FAT NEVER.

Of course, my absence won’t put them out of business. But after going there with high hopes based on a friend’s recommendation, all I can say is that it was a total fiasco.

Final Straw: The Restrooms & Overused Theme

Even in the restroom, there were bear pictures everywhere! Okay, we get it, your theme is bears, but instead of plastering bear pictures all over the place, how about upgrading your restroom faucets?

In this day and age, when people are sending rockets to space, a restaurant making thousands of dollars in revenue every day is still using ugly, outdated faucets from 20 years ago. It’s honestly embarrassing.

Conclusion: High Expectations, Huge Disappointment

Customer satisfaction in a restaurant isn’t just about the food. It’s about service quality, cleanliness, and the overall experience—and this place failed in most of these areas.

To those who get it, a word is enough. To those who don’t…...

In any other circumstance I would give the benefit of the doubt but the entirety of our experience was unpleasant. Wait staff seemed aloof and scattered. In the time it took for us to get service and order our food I was legitimately able to walk to one of the stores nearby and apply for a job. If it were busy, I would understand, but there were only 4 small families and an elderly woman at the bar. Initially I ordered the roast turkey meal as it was advertised to only be available after a certain time and gave the representation that it was something of quality that would take time to make. Not a tv dinner. Not only was it more bland than my granny gurtrudes no sodium, no seasoning cooking, it was also soggy as if it were a palliative care meal for a stroke victim. Our waitress seemed completely scattered and was completely forgetful. After finally gaining their attention, I expressed politely that I really did not enjoy any part of the meal and sent it back, our waitress offered to have the meal replaced which was kind and I accepted the offer only to be disappointed further... After offering to replace everything the waitress ignored our table and it was almost impossible to garner their attention. I ordered the barbecue ribs and chicken tenders meal instead thinking that it would be okay. Horribly wrong. The time it took for them to retake the order and get the food was so long we had to ask for a to go container at least 4 separate times. Again, it was not busy and it seemed to be fully staffed. Finally said food came but it was thrown into the box like slop would be tossed to a pig. The ribs ended up being burned and more dry than Great Aunt Agnes's hard tack from the cold war. I used to think Popeye's biscuits were a potential war crime for dryness and choking hazards, but this was a close second. Upon biting into an unfortunately soggy and dry tender I realized the inside was still frozen. Trying to satiate any last bit of appetite left, I chose to try a bite of one of the onion rings only to be met with legitimate raw flour and dust. I don't understand how it's possible to have this terrible of an experience in one sitting but unfortunately it is what it is. I normally don't care to do any sort of reviews on anything, and I'm normally able to just make due with what I've got, but the entirety of this interaction was honestly too disappointing. But yay at least I got a...

So, deciding to go out to dinner on my two day business trip to Colorado Springs, I drove around looking at fast food restaurants, but wanted something more local and mountainisque type selection. Well Colorado Springs is in the mountains! If my GPS didn’t have rerouted me onto the Academy, I may have missed the really cool wooden bear carvings in front of the restaurant. Anyway, knowing dinner would be my only full meal on this trip, my instant pick to go to dinner at the Black Bear Diner was done! The outside reminded me of a restaurant I visited once during a trip to Washington state as a young child! I don’t remember what I ate, but do remember the carved bears and totem poles! Once inside, the theme did not disappoint. I was seated right away and had the pleasure of being seated in Ashley’s zone. From the get go, Ashley had pegged me as a hungry patron. From there it only got better as a first time visitor. Ashley provided an awesome breakdown of the unique newspaper styled menu and the specials of the day. After the tantalizing menu breakdown, I selected the steak with onion rings, loaded baked potato, and green beans with bacon. But of course the tomato bisque soup and endless refills of coffee were ordered first to start off the meal. Nothing but kudos for all the food ordered and the way it was prepared. After Ashley’s keen eye on keeping my coffee filled, she asked if the food was good to go. I smiled and asked what the heck was the cook trying to do? She gave me a puzzled look and of course, I had to explain. The cook did such a great job on my medium rare order with a perfectly seared finish to keep the juices inside, the spices and butter flavor just did not stop until it was finished. This would make it difficult to match against any other restaurant in the area! Ashley recognized the compliment very quickly and laughed as I did throw her off guard on my initial comment. She passed on the compliment to the Chef. Upon her return, she asked if I wanted desert. I had to decline the desert as I met my limit with the very fulfilling dinner! I appreciate the visit to the black bear diner and recommend anyone visiting Colorado Springs to do the same! If you are fortunate, you will get the chance to be served by Ashley! Two thumbs 👍 up...